The No. 23 South Carolina women’s tennis team defeated both the Charlotte 49ers 4-0 and the South Carolina State Bulldogs 5-0 at the Carolina Tennis Center on Feb. 14.
The Gamecocks started their day off dominant and ended their day maintaining aggressiveness on both offense and defense, not even dropping a set against South Carolina State. South Carolina now improves to a 7-1 record, and are on a four-match win streak.
At the tennis collegiate level, the first team to earn four points wins the match. The teams will first start by playing three doubles matches, and whichever team is the first to win two doubles matches earns a point for their team's overall score. From there, the match transitions to playing six singles matches, with teams competing to earn the subsequent three or four points to win the match
Charlotte
The first doubles team included sophomore Helena Buchwald and fifth-year Lauren Friedman, who are ranked No. 37 in the nation. The second doubles team included junior Kaitlyn Carnicella and freshman Jane Dunyon, while the third team combined sophomore Jana Stojanova and freshman Sara Borkop.
Buchwald and Friedman were neck-and-neck against their opponents during the entire set. While the pair were up a 2-1 break, Charlotte came back to tie at 2-2 and then take a 3-2 lead. The set remained close as both teams tied once more at 3-3 and again at 4-4, but the 49ers were able to pull ahead and win 6-4.
For Carnicella and Dunyon, they managed to take a 4-1 lead, dominating the net and keeping unforced errors to a minimum. Though Charlotte was able to find some momentum and cut the lead to 4-3, Carnicella and Dunyon won 6-3.
Stojanova and Borkop also played a tight set against their opponents as well. While they struggled early on, falling 3-1, they stormed back to tie it at 3-3. From there, both doubles partners exchanged games, which eventually led to a tiebreak.
Stojanova and Borkop helped South Carolina capture their first point of the match against Charlotte by winning the set 7-6 (7-4).
After securing their first point towards their overall score, the Gamecocks then transitioned into singles.
At number one singles was No. 80 Carnicella against Charlotte sophomore No. 76 Ni Xi. At number two singles was Buchwald, with Borkop playing in the singles three position, followed by sophomore Taylor Goetz in the number four singles spot. Dunyon played in the number five spot, with Stojanova playing at number six singles.
Buchwald was the first to finish, winning 6-1, 6-2. Carnicella ended her match second, 6-2, 7-5, after a more competitive second set shifted momentum back and forth between the two players.
Stojanova was able to capture a win against her opponent, 6-3, 7-6, allowing South Carolina to win against Charlotte 4-0.
South Carolina State
Sticking with the same doubles lineup as before, South Carolina was able to quickly pull ahead on all three courts against South Carolina State. Carnicella and Dunyon quickly won 6-0, followed by a 6-1 win for Stojanova and Borkop, allowing the Gamecocks to secure the first point against South Carolina State.
Sticking with the same singles lineup that helped them defeat Charlotte, the Gamecocks only continued to be aggressive and remain dominant on all areas of the court.
Buchwald was able to capture South Carolina’s first singles win 6-0, 6-1, followed by Dunyon's 6-1, 6-0, win. Both Carnicella and Stojanova then sealed the match, winning 6-1, 6-2, and 6-0, 6-1, respectively. South Carolina ultimately won the match 5-0.
What's next?
South Carolina will take on No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs next Sunday, Feb. 22, at 1 p.m. at the Carolina Tennis Center.